WPLJ’s Scott Shannon and Todd Pettengill Becoming Part of Dish Nation for Six Weeks on WWOR

For 20 years, Scott Shannon (left) and Todd Pettengill have been a top-rated morning show on WPLJ. Their comedic banter infuses a large dose of celebrity talk.

Now, Scott and Todd are bringing their famous radio hijinks to television.

Starting on Monday, July 25, Shannon and Pettengill are joining forces with DJs from three other markets to form Dish Nation. It will run on Fox stations in seven markets, including WWOR/Channel 9.

This idea was hatched by a Los Angeles-based producer. Pettengill says it took another year for Fox to get on board for the summer trial.

“We never dreamed it was going to happen,” Shannon tells FishbowlNY.

“Now we gotta do it,” Pettengill jokes.

Taking the best entertainment bits from their four-hour show, they won’t alter the radio presentation.

“The only thing we do differently is we have makeup on,” Shannon admits.

“We just do our show,” Pettengill says.

Dish Nation will feature jocks from four radio stations including Atlanta’s WHTA, Detriot’s WDVD, and Los Angeles’ Power 106.

The six-week run airs on Channel 9 weeknights at 6. But despite the saturation of nightly entertainment/gossip programs, the tandem says Dish Nation is unique for viewers.

“The thing that attracted us to the show is the concept they came up [for] the production,” Shannon says. “It’s really fast-paced with a lot of special effects. And it’s based around the comedy and the comments we make on the radio.”

“It’s a comedy show, first and foremost,” Pettengill adds. “So it’s not an entertainment show. It’s about the funny.”

Along with edited radio tidbits, Dish Nation will have it easier on the eyes, interspersing clips of personalities who Shannon and Pettengill discuss on the air.

While Fox is giving Dish Nation the green light through August, Pettengill would like to see their TV careers take off.

“We’re hoping it will be picked up for a full season,” Pettengill tells FishbowlNY.

If that does happen, he believes it likely would begin on a regular basis next summer.

“We hope millions of people [will watch],” Shannon says.

“Obviously, we’re banking that our audience is going to want to watch, and from the feedback they’re all pretty excited about it,” Pettengill says. “They’ve heard us for 20 years, now it’s a chance to see the two idiots in the morning.”

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